March 22, 2013

Williamsburg, Va. - The Fordham rowing squad opened its spring season with a Spring Break trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, where the Rams competed with the College of William & Mary on March 15.

The competition was delayed a few days due to rough waters and high winds but when the boats got on the water, the Rams displayed little sign of the long layoff, as the Rams' varsity 8 finished one-two.

Fordham split its top 16 rowers into two even varsity 8 boats for the race with both crews racing well, according to head coach Ted Bonanno. Under ideal conditions, the first varsity 8 was able to edge out the second varsity 8 by a boat length with both shells finishing well ahead of the William and Mary varsity 8 entry.

The Fordham first varsity 8 was comprised of Ashleigh Aitchison (8), Liz Helmer (7), Jess LaJoie (6), Ashley Hawkeswort (5), Jillian Stackman (4), Alex McDonald (3), Alex Leen (2) and Jenn Amoroso (bow) with Alexandra Anello at coxswain. The second varsity 8 contained Nicole Arrato (8), Tecla Di Francesco (7), Maureen White (6), Katelyn Lakes (5), Sossi Megan (4), Kasia Wlodarkiewicz (3), Meg Sullivan (2) and Maria Capuano (bow) with Rachel Sortino at coxswain.

Later in the day, the Rams also competed with the Tribe in the freshman/novice 8 but due to the conditions, the competition was done from a floating start and the distance was a little more than 500 meters.

Fordham and William & Mary raced seven times in the freshman/novice 8 with all seven being closely contested. The Tribe won the first race by just over a boat length and the second by a little less than a boat length. The third race ended in a tie and the fourth saw William & Mary crossing the line just 0.6 seconds ahead of Fordham. The Tribe also won the last three races, the last one by just 0.3 seconds.

The Fordham freshman/novice 8 was made up of Kate Malcolm (8), Tara DiGennaro (7), Sarah Champlin (6), Wendy Amidon (5), Alex Smith (4), Anne Hayes (3), Tessa Bloechl (2) and Gabby Robertson (bow) with Lauren Dzialo at coxswain.

"Although William & Mary came out on top during the freshmen racing, this was a major learning experience for the Fordham freshmen," said assistant coach Nick Dawe. "There is a lot to work on over the next few weeks as we prepare for the spring racing season and ultimately the A-10 and Dad Vail Championships. This year's freshmen squad is one that is highly motivated and clearly fought hard in every race, a quality that will be very important in the upcoming spring races."

The Rams return to action on Saturday, March 30, as they compete in the Murphy Cup on the Cooper River in Cherry Hill, N.J.